Allergic and irritant conditions of the mucous membranes of the nose are quite common and are treated with sympathomimetic amines applied locally to produce vasoconstriction of local blood vessels. Such irritation or allergies of the mucous membranes of the nose may follow introduction of foreign particles or chemical pollutants or may be part of the allergic manifestations of asthma, hayfever, and allergic rhinitis resulting in swollen mucous membranes, stuffiness and/or more or less continued discharge from the nose.
While there are a number of vasoconstrictive compounds available for treating irritation of the mucous membrane of the nose there are few effective compounds available for preventing irritation of the mucous membrane of the nose due to irritant and/or allergic conditions, that is there is no prophylactic treatment available.
We have discovered that tricyclic anti-depressants usually prescribed for ameliorating the effects of severe depression are prophylactically effective when applied topically to prevent irritation of the mucous membrane of the nose upon exposure to irritant conditions. These tricyclic anti-depressants alone have little effect on the treatment of already irritated mucous membranes, but when combined with known vasoconstrictors are effective for preventing future irritations while effectively treating present irritation.